Today, my daughter and I went to Whole Foods to pick up some things and then we were gonna head to Target. So they were giving out free popcorn and I let her have the whole bag(just a small bag) since she loves popcorn. We walk towards the back into the bakery section and I notice that she’s doing the potty waddle(mothers know what I’m talking about here) and has that I gotta poop look, but don’t wanna tell me. So I took her to the bathroom and sat her on the toilet to do her thang. Nothing. Not even a little bit that usually comes out. She tells me that she’s finished so I wipe her and we finish our shopping. Not even 10 minutes go by as we were about to leave, and here comes that waddle again. Now she’s whining. So, I take her into the bathroom again and she goes #2 on herself but not a lot comes out. I know from dealing with her that there’s more, much more, to come so I let her sit there for a while. Nothing. I knew I was gonna regret getting her off the toilet, but I said screw it. And as we sat down to eat, lo and behold she went. And went. And went. And what did I do? Continue to eat my food.

I was gonna teach her a lesson that when she has to go potty, she needs to tell me and just not go on herself. If she’s doing #1, no problem; she just goes right by herself to the bathroom with no problems. If she was at home, I would have her stay on the toilet for about an hour until she does something. But most of the time, after I finish putting clean underwear on her, she goes right in her underwear and THEN tells me after the fact. So yes, I let her sit in her own poo, tears in her eyes and all, while I finished my food(don’t judge me). And after I was done, we went to the car and I sat a plastic bag in her car seat and took a long sh*tty ride home.

Which makes me wonder, why are children’s #2’s so rank and large? How can something that literally looks like a small creature come out of a little person? I believe I’ve had my toilet clogged so many times and using the stick to break it up because it was way. too. big. So of course, I had to use logic on this one. Perhaps it’s her diet. I was blessed to have a picky eater. I say it’s a blessing because most of the time, she eats fresh fruits and vegetables-never cooked or from the can. She rarely eats meals like chicken and mashed potatoes unless it’s chicken tenders and french fries. She loves salad greens, rice with either some ketchup, soy, or BBQ sauce and she likes kim chee, sushi rice and pizza. I think she may be the only child that does not like spaghetti o’s and ravioli and I think she’s a closet vegetarian because she does not like much meat except ham. So it could be her diet. She recently ate some popcorn the other day, but ended up eating the whole bag. So that was I saw in her poo that looked like melted chocolate candy and smelled like slightly sweet stinky mess. I had to get the answer to this and I found a website called what else, Mampedia where wisdom is shared by other mothers. I wish found out about this site right after I had my daughter. But anyway, many of the mothers suggested increasing fiber and water your child’s diet and if possible, take some Miralax. I thought, she’s good in the fruit dept, but I certainly know she needs more veggies. Good luck with that. What scared me a little was when one mom said that her pediatrician told her that her child’s intestine was stretched out and that’s why she was having megash*ts. I hope my baby doesn’t have that issue, considering she does have a hernia and all. Her checkup is due this year, so I will bring this to her pediatricians’ attention.

So for right now, the baby will be drinking more water and less milk. She likes carrots and salad greens, but I’ma need jesus to take the wheel on broccoli, string beans, and legumes. And speaking of Dr’s appts, I will be making that this week and finally getting rid of that hernia. That’s what may be giving her pain. Until then, it is important that our kids get enough fiber as possible. I was in the hospital a few years ago for constipation issues that almost resulted in an obstructed bowel. I was hunched over in extreme pain and had to wait 12 hrs to finally be seen(it was a military hospital). I don’t want her to end up like I did so that’s why the change begins now.

So it’s black history month and this blog will honor those spoken, and unspoken heroes of the green and natural movement by making this place a better place for us all. So who better to honor than of course, our First Lady, Michelle Obama with her Let’s Move! campaign. She has been on the talk show circuit all this week celebrating the 1st anniversary commemorating Let’s Move to end childhood obesity. First I wanna say that I appreciate the FL taking the initiative on this issue and allowing us to have this conversation about the choices we make when it comes to our food and having healthier habits. So far, Lets Move! is already in its first year with its first legislative victory, The Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act 2010 under its belt. Also, the FL has done something unprecedented by teaming up with Wal-Mart to provide better access to fresh and organic produce and cutting back on the salt and sugar in their products.

So what is Lets Move!? It is a campaign headed by the FL to help end childhood obesity in a generation. Its main strategic goals are to increase access to healthy food and making it affordable, give parents the right tools and guides for them to make informed decisions, increase physical activity, and to provide healthy food in our schools. Over the past 30 years, Childhood obesity has tripled. In fact, almost one in every 3 children are overweight or obese. According to www.letsmove.gov , if something is not done to combat this problem, one-third of all our children born after 2000 will experience diabetes, heart disease, and asthma at some point in their lifetimes. That’s a pretty alarming statistic. Also, kids today are not getting enough excercise. The average child spends about 7.5 hours in front of a television, computer, or playing video games. I know I came up during the era of Atari, Nintendo, and Sega Genesis, but back when I was a kid, all we did was play outside, especially during the summertime or after homework was done. All we played was touch football in the street, double dutch, jump rope, and trying to out race each other up and down the street. All the while burning off those calories and sugar from now laters, freezee pops, and hug juices. I feel like an old lady now, but darn it, kids these days don’t know how to play. I watched the FL hoola hoop on the WH lawn about a year or so ago and it made me think 1. What FL did I know that hoola hooped and did this and 2. It really is kinda sad that kids today don’t get enough physical activity that existed when I was a kid. I really commend the FL for taking this step forward to promote exercise and healthy eating habits. But I digress…

The rest of the website gives parents the tools and information they need to make an informed decision about their eating choices. As parents sometimes it’s just easier to go for prepared meals or take out because we don’t always have time to cook. Then there are those like myself who are not home during dinnertime to know exactly what their child is eating. They also give facts and links from the CDC and you can even calculate your child’s Body Mass Index(BMI). The FL has aligned herself with such groups as the American Academy of Pediatrics and has created Chefs Move to Schools program to have chefs come to create a menu plan with the schools.

Michelle Obama even helped create the first White House Garden with the help of some local school children. There, vegetables and herbs, such as ButterHead lettuce, broccoli and thyme are grown as well as sweet potatoes and a beehive for honey. The White House has used these in many state dinners and other functions and have donated them to local charities and shelters. Schools have now gotten into the act by growing their own gardens to teach kids about sustainability and have direct access to fresh produce from local farms through the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act. The Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 was signed into law on December 13th 2010. The act is a bipartisan law to revamp school lunches and increase access and availability to fresh produce, create new guidelines for school breakfast and lunch programs, and focus on reducing childhood obesity. It also makes schools accountable by requiring school districts to be audited every 3 years to meet compliance and properly train school food service personnel on identifying hazards and recall food items. The rest can be found here at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/12/13/president-obama-signs-healthy-hunger-free-kids-act-2010-law .

The FL has even chosen to align herself with the Sith. In January it was announced that she will team up with Wal-Mart to push for access to fresh and organic produce by dropping its prices and to push for its suppliers to cut back on salt, fats and sugar in their products. I know that people love to think of Wal-Mart at the Sith lord Darth Vader, but there is some good that can come out of this. For one Wal-Mart has vowed to lower prices on its produce and develop its own logo to recognize organic produce. They will also build more stores in undeserving communities, make thousands of its packaged food items that it sells more healthy and affordable by 2015, and increase charitable donations to nutritious programs. Another step that Wal-Mart has taken is to lower the costs of generic prescription drugs and eliminate waste from its store and to make their trucks more fuel-efficient. Ok, I shop at Wal-Mart from time to time because it’ just right across the street from where I work. I am certainly not a huge fan of the chain(abhor its anti-union stance, employment discrimination, and shitty customer service), but I do say that this is a positive step in the right direction for a corporation such as this to follow. I mean, isn’t this what we want them to do because it’s the ethical thing to do? And let’s be honest, corporations make money. They answer to their shareholders AND stakeholders so of course everyone is going to be affected by this. But for people to act as if Wal-Mart should not have anything to gain from this is really just nitpicking at best. The naysayers have already panned it and claims that the FL sold out on whatever made up principle they came up with. Because aligning yourself with Darth Vader instead of fighting a losing battle means you’ve sold out. No, complaining about a plan of action that you don’t know whether or not will work means you’ve sold out. It also mean, that you’re hating(Hi Hater!). A behemoth such as the eeeevil Wal-Mart is finally coming around and cutting back on sugar and salt but it’s bullshit because most of it will still be processed anyway. Of course they stand to lose from this by lowering the sugar and salt content from their packaged foods but at the same time, they gain a foothold in the marketplace by offering organic produce and other items. Bill Simon, Wal-Mart executive had this to say, “No family should have to choose between food that is healthier for them and food they can afford. With more than 140 million customers a week, Wal-Mart is uniquely positioned to make a difference by making food healthier and more affordable to everyone.” They are the market leader to create a chain reaction for others to follow suit. As the saying goes, so goes Wal-Mart, so goes everyone else.

So I commend the FL and congratulate the success of Lets Move! so far and teaming up with Wal-Mart. They have identified over 70 strategies to implement and have helped push for legislation to get passed. They have had many to sing it’s praises from chefs such as Tom Colicchio and Cat Cora, to politicians such as US Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) and Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR), and food advocacy groups such as Think Food Group. They have even hooked up with partners such as the NFL and the culinary community. Do I know that Wal-Mart will not try to screw us over? Who knows. Again, I’m not panning this idea just yet, but it was just announced about 2 weeks ago so for me to say it’s a winner/loser is a little early. But I do want to say that I am glad that a major corporation such as this has taken this step forward for the better. So here’s to you First Lady Michelle Obama.

My daughter is in the room watching Sesame Street. Elmo is to Cori what Justin Bieber is to a tween. She eats with him, sleeps with him, they use the bathroom together and she even wipes him after they’re done. But lately, I’ve been trying to watch my language around her because she repeats and does the same things I do. I suppose you can say that she looks up to me and her dad, but I think she just likes being a mommas’ girl. She used to say ‘shit’ a lot but I had to tell her not to say that. She’ll go, “Oops, don’t say that”. She even pops herself on the leg(it’s cute, I try not to laugh lol). I know I curse a fair amount on this blog, but hell, It’s my damn blog. I also curse when I’m out and about, but fuck it, I’m grown and I handle my business. However, I have to say that it’s been interesting having to watch my language around my daughter because she picks up on things and repeats them word for word. One time, she gave her dad an alphabet and told him what that was. Then she said, “H? Where the hell is H?” He didn’t say anything, he just did a smh and told me about it later. So for now, I try not to curse around her, I don’t let her listen to music that has a lot of profanity and let’s face it, as far as TV goes, if it ain’t Elmo, Mickey, Yo Gabba, and Barney, she’s really not interested much. Well, maybe Family Guy and the Simpsons, but she’s doesn’t repeat what they say. I grew up in the 80s and 90s and my parents would curse all the time around my brother and I. They would always say, “Don’t do what I do, Do as I say”. They never worried about watching their language then, but now, they make it a point not to use foul language unless something really upset them. Well, this only applies to my mother. My daddy still uses profanity.

I wrote a blog about a couple weeks ago about our loss of imagination and not believing in the possible anymore. I think that children have an impeccable sense of imagination. I think that’s why they are able to see things clearly in ways that adults can’t and not to mention, they are excellent bullshit detectors. For instance, my daughter doesn’t talk much around people she doesn’t know. I would tell her that it’s ok to say Hi to people but she would be silent. At her school, her teachers thought she had a speech impediment because she wouldn’t talk. At home, she was fine talking around her dad and I and she even opened up to my mom and his mom. But she doesn’t feel comfortable around people she doesn’t know and won’t go up to anybody to give them hugs and kisses. That goes for family too. She finally opened up in school and not only did her teachers find out that she can speak, but she can also do the alphabet in sign language. They put her in the advanced class. I don’t mind her not opening up much because if she’s not comfortable around a particular person, then she won’t go to that person on her free will. These days, I think that it’s ok for a child to feel her/his way through a situation before theyare comfortable. But then again, some kids are just different. Another thing that she does is she carries her Elmo everywhere she goes. I figured that children need security and that acts as her security blanket. Like Linus’ blue blanket from the Peanuts. Whenever she’s scared, feeling lonely, or need someone to play with, she grabs her Elmo and gives him a big kiss on the nose and talks to him. I think it’s really cute because I used to do that with my FiFi. But it could also mean that she’s ready for a sibling. Well, the later probably won’t happen but I’m pretty sure that she’ll grow out of it once she’s in elementary school and around other kids.